Ferrari and Shell are working to address a fuel-related weakness as the Maranello team develops an extensively revised Formula 1 power unit for 2027. The issue is understood to have limited the effectiveness of Ferrari’s high-temperature engine philosophy during 2026, contributing to a season in which the technical package has not consistently delivered the performance expected before the campaign began.
According to Franco Nugnes of Motorsport Italy, the work taking place at Maranello is not centred on abandoning that concept. Ferrari instead intends to refine it for next season, with the objective of running the power unit at higher temperatures while extracting more performance from the internal-combustion engine. Shell’s fuel development has become an important part of that process.
Ferrari keeps its hot-running engine concept for 2027
Ferrari entered 2026 with considerable expectations and adopted an engine philosophy designed to operate at elevated temperatures. The theory was that improved aerodynamic packaging combined with greater horsepower could offer a competitive advantage, but the results have fallen short of what the team hoped to achieve.
Rather than changing direction entirely, Ferrari is now aiming to optimise the concept. The 2027 power unit is being developed to tolerate even higher operating temperatures, with the intention of increasing output while retaining the packaging advantages associated with the original idea.
The project forms part of a much broader technical overhaul inside Maranello. Ferrari has been recruiting heavily across its engineering departments, including an experienced former Mercedes engine designer, as development increasingly shifts towards next year’s car. The wider weaknesses Ferrari believes it must address are already visible in its 2026 SF-26 development and 2027 technical programme.
Shell fuel becomes a key part of Ferrari’s 2027 power unit work
Nugnes indicates that fuel performance has been one factor preventing Ferrari’s high-temperature concept from producing its intended benefit. There is an acknowledgement between Ferrari and Shell, as well as within the wider paddock, that the current fuel has not been among the strongest relative to products used by rival power-unit manufacturers.
Shell is therefore working to refine its formulation so Ferrari can extract more from the revised engine next season. The target is to reduce the performance limitation affecting the internal-combustion engine and allow the power unit to operate more effectively within Ferrari’s preferred thermal window.
That makes the fuel programme more than a secondary development detail. If Ferrari wants to retain a hotter-running architecture, the combustion process, fuel properties and thermal operating range must work together rather than limiting one another.
Ferrari’s broader power-unit development can be followed through the site’s Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
A larger turbo is also planned for Ferrari’s next engine
The changes are not limited to fuel. An unnamed power-unit designer with previous links to Red Bull and Mercedes has also joined the project, with Ferrari apparently taking inspiration from approaches already explored by its rivals.
One of the most significant changes concerns the turbocharger. Ferrari intends to use a considerably larger turbo in 2027 as part of an effort to avoid the battery and energy-deployment difficulties that affected Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at different stages of the 2026 season.
Those energy-management problems have been particularly important on circuits with long full-throttle sections, where deployment can become a decisive performance factor. The challenge has already been highlighted in Ferrari’s 2026 energy-deployment analysis.
The larger turbo is intended to help Ferrari build a more robust overall power-unit package rather than simply chase peak engine output. The objective is to ensure that electrical deployment and internal-combustion performance complement one another more effectively over a full lap and race stint.
Ferrari is redesigning the car around the 2027 power unit
The engine changes are being developed alongside an equally important chassis programme. Ferrari is planning a slimmer body shape and an adjusted floor as part of its effort to improve race pace next season, meaning the power unit and chassis are being treated as interconnected parts of the same project.
That approach is important because the team’s 2026 struggles have not been attributed to one isolated component. Although the engine’s power deficit has attracted considerable attention, Ferrari’s aim for 2027 is to make the power unit, aerodynamics and chassis work together more effectively.
The Scuderia has already been using lessons from the present car to inform next year’s design direction, with the team believing that continued SF-26 development can contribute to its 2027 Formula 1 project.
Ferrari wants to capitalise on the revised power balance
The technical direction is also influenced by the changing balance between combustion and electrical power. The move from a 50/50 split to a 58/42 distribution was regarded as an area in which Ferrari could potentially gain, increasing the importance of extracting the maximum from both sides of the power unit.
That helps explain why Ferrari is not simply abandoning its existing concept after a disappointing season. The team believes the underlying philosophy can still offer an advantage if the thermal characteristics, fuel, turbocharger and energy system are developed more effectively.
For Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the success of that work could be fundamental. Ferrari has shown flashes of strong performance during 2026, but too often the car has lacked the consistent race pace and power-unit efficiency required to challenge its leading rivals across an entire weekend.
Ferrari’s 2027 target goes beyond staying in contention
The scale of the work under way at Maranello reflects a broader change in ambition. Ferrari is no longer satisfied simply to remain close enough to compete occasionally at the front. The objective is to build a package capable of fighting consistently for both championships.
Whether the revised fuel, larger turbo, hotter-running engine concept and slimmer chassis deliver that step will only become clear once the 2027 car reaches the track. What is already evident, however, is that Ferrari intends to preserve the fundamental philosophy behind its current project while correcting the areas that prevented it from producing the expected results in 2026.
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